Beyond the One Percent Barrier
by Yaraslava Rada
Summary: One shots based (mostly) in the Steins;gate world-line. Chapter 1: Okabe gives Mayuri something she's always wanted. Chapter 2: Seven years later Daru asks some important questions. Chapter 3: What happens after Okabe leaves a worldline?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: In the Steins;Gate world line, Okabe gives Mayuri something she's always wanted.

"Here." Okabe says holding out his fist.

Mayuri looks up from her latest cosplay in mild confusion. Comima had come and passed, and thankfully, in spite of all his worrying, Mayuri was still alive and unharmed. Daru and Myuri's weird looks (well, weirder than normal anyway) were totally worth his increased serious paranoia. They still shot him glances every once in a while when he did something totally OOC but he just started muttering about Steins;Gate's choices and they didn't question it, to his face at least.

"Okarin?" Mayuri asks again. "Are you alright?" She's got her palm out under his fist, but her eyes are glued to his.

"Yes, Mayuri. I'm fine." He pauses for a moment to let her pleasantly surprised face engrave itself into his memory before coughing. "I mean...I was wondering, lab member double-oh-two, if you were worthy of such a gift as this! Or if my giving it to you would throw us into another world line!" He dramatically states, posing under a spotlight, strategically placed for moments such as this one. Her surprised look melts into a soft smile before switching to one of worry.

"If you think it's dangerous, Okarin, maybe it's best if Mayushii doesn't get this gift..."

"No, no...I think we'll be alright, just this once." He says, opening his hand to let the gift fall into her palm. "Now, don't loose it, Mayuri." She's surprised at the little thing's weight.

"Okarin!" She gasps, shocked. "It's a metal Oompa!" Daru turns from the computer to get a look at the spectacle.

"Is it rare?" He asks feigning ignorance.

"It's Super Rare!" She says jumping up from her seat to give him a hug.

"Are they worth a lot?" He asks as Mayuri backs off to look at the tiny metal cutie in her hands.

"Yeah! They go for about 10,000 yen..."

"Ten Thousand YEN?" Okabe asks 'surprised'. "I changed my mind! We've moved world-lines, double-oh-two! Quick give it back before the Organization finds us!"

"No way Okarin! This is Mayushi's gift!" She says holding the Oompa close to her chest.

"But if the Organization finds us we're doomed!"

"Mayushii will just have to take extra good care of her Metal Oompa! Right, Daru-kun?"

"Don't listen to her, Hack! The organization is dangerous! More dangerous than her attachment to a gift!"

"Not cool, Okabe. You should have done your homework before giving it to Mayushii. It's her's now." Daru says, disappointed in Okabe's behavior.

"Well...I suppose if you guard it with your life, Mayuri..." He begins, trailing off when he realizes just how much he DOES NOT mean that statement.

"Of course!" Mayuri says sitting with a content smile. Okabe sighs in defeat before making his way to the TV where he plops down in front of it, ready to restart his third-degree on Alpaca-Man.

AN:/ I love Steins;Gate and I hope to write many more pieces for this wonderful series.

Next chapter: That fateful day seven years after the end of the anime, Daru asks an important question.


	2. Chapter 2

Okabe thought it strange that the hospital was so very quiet. In all the movies there were ambulances outside, doctors and nurses in a constant hustle, the beeping of heart monitors and sirens shrieking as things went wrong with patients. He supposed that was just one more thing Movies depicted poorly of America. Then again, they were in the middle of nowhere, maybe city hospitals were more lively?

As he made his way into the room the helpful nurse pointed him to, there was a sudden increase in the noise level. That infamous heart monitor could be heard beneath the almost whispered conversation. The door closed behind him with a quiet 'bang' as he made his way forward, past the privacy curtain. There was a pause in the conversation while he took in the room. Daru's wife was definitely the most prominent figure. She was laid on her back, spread out, stomach bloated with newly formed life. Daru hovered next to her, never once moving out of reach. Mayuri and Kurisu sat on chairs near the bathroom door while *Amane-chan's mother sat with them.

"Okabe! Where have you been, man?" Daru asks face lighting up at the sight of his best friend.

"The organization has moles in the local police force...they wanted to interrogate me. Luckily, I managed to get away before anything nefarious could happen."

"That dratted organization again, Okabe-kun?" Amane asks with a crooked smile.

"They always pop up at the worst of times." He agrees grinning back.

"You got arrested again, Okabe?!" Kurisu asks shocked. "You'll never be let in the country again!" She moans. "I'll have to move to Japan at this rate..."

"Never fear, Assistant, It was nothing serious. They never mentioned anything about forbidding me from retur-" Just then a nurse walked in with some primeval measuring tool. Mauyri stood and moved beside Amane and took her hands as the nurse measured her dilation.

"Looks like you'll be ready soon, Mrs. Hashida. I'll send the doctor in, you send everyone out who you don't want with you for the birthing.

Amane's eyes lock with Okabe's in a moment of panic.

"It'll be alright, Amane-chan." He says, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "This is the choice of Steins;Gate..." He nods at her, as her fear subsides. When she looks back to Daru, her fear is gone. Daru looks at him strangely, but his gaze is focused on the fiddling Mayuri.

"Mayushii doesn't want to watch..." She murmurs lightly, looking to Amane for acceptance. She nods her head with a smile.

"That's alright Mayushii-chan. Houoin can keep you company until it's over." As they make their way out of the ward and back to the waiting area they run into Feyris.

"You can't go back there, Feyris-chan." Mayuri says lightly. "Amane-chan's getting ready to have her baby."

"Nyaw...Feyris-nyan-nyan wanted to see them before..."

"It's alright Feyris. You can see them in a bit with their baby." Okabe says sitting down heavily.

"Alright, Kyouma. I'll wait here with you guys."

"Yay! Let's sit in the little room!" Mayuri says pulling Okabe from his seat. "They've got a TV and a coffee machine! Is something wrong Okarin?" She asks looking at his serious face.

"There's a suspicious number of camera's for a hospital..." Okabe mutters, settling uncomfortably on the couch next to Feyris as Mayuri makes them all some coffee. "It feels as though the organization is watching us!"

"Tuturu!" Mayuri says handing a cup to Okabe. "They didn't have any sugar so I used the little pink packets instead."

"Aha! See only an organization-run facility would be out of real su-" his rant is interrupted by some music being played over an intercom system. His eyes narrow in suspicion. "They don't want me telling their secrets! I see how it is!"

"Nya? Kyouma, I'm sure they play it whenever a baby is born..."

"And a child just so happened to be born the second I was about to reveal the organizations secret's?"

"Well, yes." Mauyri giggles.

"You've been brainwashed haven't you?"

...2 hours later...

"Okabe-kun, Mayuri-chan, Feyris-chan...you guy's can come back now..." Kurisu says from the baby ward's doorway. They blink blearily, the last baby birth chime had played more than an hour ago...they quickly jumped up and mobbed the door. Feyris got through first, but she didn't know what room they were in and her indecision cost her precious time, during which Okabe made it past her and down the hall, Mayuri clutching his hand, being dragged close behind. Kurisu shakes her head at their antics.

They move quickly past the curtain to see Amane holding the beautiful baby girl. The baby's asleep as everyone looks up at their entrance. Daru shushes them as Okabe takes a hesitant step forward. Amane looks at him and gestures him closer. She shows him how to hold her, 'support the head' she mouths before handing her over.

Okabe looks at the tiny thing in his arms, hardly able to believe she'll grow up to be that strong time-traveling woman he knew in the other world-lines.

"Amane, Suzuha-chan..." He whispers, eyes shining brightly. "I dub you, double-oh-eight, nicknamed part-time warrior..." He mutters the last part under his breath. Mayuri moves to stand next to him, looking at the cute baby, snapping him out of his musings on the future. "Do you want to hold her?" He asks, turning to his childhood friend. She nods happily so he shows her how to hold the baby.

Almost as soon as Suzu-chan is out of his arms Daru pulls him out of the room angrily.

"Dude. What the hell is up with you?"

"What do you mean, Hack?"

"Just answer me! You know what I mean!"

"Speak your mind, good man, for I can not read it!"

"Comforting my wife! Telling her it's 'Steins;Gate's' choice! How did you know seven years ago I'd be having a kid?! And how the hell did you know her name when we only chose after she was born?!"

"...I know I've kept secret's from you, Daru...but I've never made my Reading Steiner a secret...nor my travels to the other world-lines!"

"I thought you were blowing smoke, dude! Really? Time travel? Alternate dimensions? With an organization out for your blood? That's the stuff of science fiction! Not real life!"

"And there, Hack, in lies the difference between you and your wife." Okabe says turning his back on his friend of ten years (if you count the first two, in high school when they never spoke, and Okabe always does).

The walk out of the hospital was as silent as the walk in. This time, he thinks, the silence is appropriate.

He makes it as far as the drop-off zone before Daru catches up to him.

"Hey!" He huffs, out of breath, leaning his hands on his knees as he slowly catches his breath. "You bastard! Don't think you can just walk out on us like that!"

"What took you so long?" Okabe asks, leaning against a support pillar, facing the side to cut an impressive silhouette.

"I had to tell the wife where I was going."

"You're on quite a short leash today-"

"My wife just gave birth to my kid! Of course she doesn't want me traipsing around the country trying to find your sorry ass!"

"Why would you even go to such lengths? I thought you think I'm crazy."

"Well, crazy or not, you can't leave just yet. We've named you Godfather, Okabe."

"Me? Godfather?" Okabe asks, eyes wide in shock.

"Yes Okabe, now get up there and see your God-daughter!"

AN:/ *So I don't know if it's ever revealed (in the anime, which is what I'm going off of) just what her name is, I've heard it's Yuki, but to avoid confusion I just used her maiden name, even though in this she's married to Daru. (After all, I couldn't just call her, "Daru's wife" or "Suzuha's mother" the entire time, now could I?)

Next chapter: What happens when Okabe leaves a world-line? It doesn't just cease to exist...


	3. Chapter 3

"Our victory is nigh! We've overcome all conspiracies, upholding out ideals to the last! We have fought through the battle of Ragnarok! I thank those who have worked so hard for me to ensure this victory!" Okabe monologues as Mayuri and Daru look on in stunned perplexity. "I am grateful to all those I have had to sacrifice, what comes next is the world I wished for! This is all the choice of steins;gate! The world will be rebuilt!" _Kurisu, I'm sorry, _he thinks as he presses the key that will erase the very first D-mail from SERN's database.

"Okabe!" Kurisu calls bursting down the door. "Okabe! I'm also…!"

"Kurisu!" He calls shocked at her appearance, his Reading Steiner is active, his heart working overtime to keep his memories intact.

"I'm also in-I'm also in love with you, Okabe!" She yells, just a fraction of a second too late.

"What?!" Daru asks surprised looking at Kurisu in shock.

"I knew it!" Mayuri squeals in happiness.

Everyone turns to Okabe for his reaction. He's still slouched over the computer, one hand clutching the desk for dear life, the other balled by his side. His head's turned at an awkward angle, looking straight through Kurisu. He blinks as his eyes regain awareness.

"How long have I been just standing here?" He asks, eyes locking with Kurisu's.

"Maybe a minute…" She replies softly.

"Did it work? No, that's a dumb question, if it had you wouldn't be here…did we delete it?" He asks turning to Daru.

"Yeah man, it's gone." Daru affirms after double-checking.

"Then why am I still here? I felt the Reading Steiner activate, I should have moved beyond the one percent barrier…why didn't it work?" He mumbles to himself eyes unfocused again. "It should have worked…" He states after a few minutes, lost, he looks to Kurisu. "Why didn't it work?" She looks thoughtful for a moment, while he straightens himself out.

"You said you felt your Reading Whatever activate?" She asks softly. "The same as any other time?" He nods. "Then perhaps…it did work." He opens his mouth to argue. "No. Listen to me. Your Reading Steins;gate" his mumbled 'steiner' goes on ignored. "did activate, and you moved back to the other world-line."

"But why then, am I here?"

"The world couldn't just erase your memories, for whatever reason you're the only person with the gift of remembrance. But there was an Okabe here before you arrived, so there must be an Okabe here after you left."

"You don't mean…?"

"You're stuck here…even if we were to change world-lines again, some version of this you would remain."

"And all the other world-lines I've been to?" He asks, voice shaking.

"Are in the same situation."

He thinks on that for a moment, remembering the other worlds and just what they contained, before coming to a realization. A horrified look crosses his face. "And even if I were to change something?"

"Some version of you will be forced to stay here." She theorizes sadly. He sinks to his knees as his face goes blank.

"No…" He whispers, hands balling into fists on the floor. His eyes become unfocused, staring off into the middle-distance.

An awkward feeling envelops Daru and Mayuri, who've been hereto left out of the loop. Even though Okabe's back is to them they can see when it begins shaking…and Kurisu's usually impassive face looks like it'll start crying at any moment. They're confused but Mayuri tentatively steps forward to comfort Okabe. She lays a hand on his back, but he quickly pulls her into a hug. He clutches her tightly, his face the perfect picture of abject defeat and Mayuri's now close enough to hear that he's been mumbling to himself.

Daru looks past them to Kurisu in confusion.

"Mayuri…is going to die…" She whispers watching as Mayuri stiffens and Okabe sobs louder.

Daru's shocked before attempting to shake it off. "Everyone does, eventually."

"…in two days." Kurisu continues wiping tears from her eyes. Mayuri's eyes begin watering.

"No way." Daru whispers eyes locking with Mayuri's before she shuts them tight.

"I've tried…I've tried…I've tried…Mayuri…Mayuri, I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Mayuri looks down at her broken friend thinking '_I did this!_' She wraps her arms around him as she cries on his shoulder for what she's going to put him through. She doesn't understand everything, but she knows the basis of time travel, and that Okarin's been changing things. She understands that Okarin's seen the future and knows him well enough to know he wouldn't be this broken up about it if there was anything he could do to change it.

"It's okay, Okarin. I don't have to be your hostage anymore, it's okay."

"…I'm sorry…Mayuri…I'm sorry…I tried, I tried…I'm sorry."

AN:/This came out a lot sadder than I thought it would. Believe it or not, I was tearing up while writing it.

Next chapter: TBA (this is the end of my pre-written pieces...hopefully more inspiration will strike soon!)


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